`Enough Is Enough'

MIDEAST CRISIS

Bush Calls For Israeli Pullout

April 5, 2002|By Robin Wright, Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Declaring "enough is enough," President Bush announced Thursday that he is dispatching Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Middle East next week in a bold but risky bid to end the raging violence and get Israel and the Palestinians back to the peace table.

"The storms of violence cannot go on," Bush said in a Rose Garden speech that included a series of stern messages for Palestinian and Israeli leaders as well as for regional players in the escalating crisis. As basic steps, he called for Israel to withdraw its troops and the Palestinians to end a wave of terror.

At the United Nations, the United States asked the Security Council to endorse Powell's mission and to demand an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian cities "without delay." It was adopted unanimously.

The president's announcement marked a major policy reversal after a week of words but no new action. Administration officials said the president decided to act because of the mounting bloodshed and destruction on both sides, but also because of the looming dangers of a wider regional war.

"The world finds itself at a critical moment. This is a conflict that can widen -- or an opportunity we can seize," Bush said, as Powell stood at his side.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says the week-old operation is designed to stop a wave of suicide bombings.

Bush said Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat finds himself in a situation "largely of his own making" because he's "missed his opportunities and thereby betrayed the hopes of the people he's supposed to lead."

Saeb Erekat, the chief negotiator for the Palestinians, said late Thursday in Jerusalem that Arafat accepted Bush's statement "without conditions" and welcomed Powell's visit.

Whether Powell meets with Arafat will depend on the outcome of the Palestinian leader's meeting with U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni, which could come today, and Arafat's success in controlling the violence during the next few days, administration officials said.

Bush also demanded that Israel withdraw troops from cities it has reoccupied during the past week in the West Bank.

"Israel must understand that its response to these attacks is only a temporary measure," he said.

In Israel, the Foreign Ministry welcomed Powell's visit and promised "to do everything so that his mission will be successful."

But a statement from Sharon's office said Operation Protective Wall would continue until Israel achieves its goal. A Defense Ministry spokesman predicted that the operation could last seven more weeks.

Bush also called on Israel to halt expansion of Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories and to ease border closures.

"It is crucial to distinguish between the terrorists and ordinary Palestinians seeking to provide for their own families," he said.

Acknowledging he has no illusions about the difficulties ahead, Bush said Powell's trip to the region will include three mandates: implementation of the recently approved U.N. Resolution 1402 to achieve an immediate and meaningful cease-fire; a full Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories; and fulfillment of the security plan devised last year by CIA Director George Tenet, followed by implementation of a proposal by former Sen. George Mitchell for resuming talks on a final settlement of the half-century conflict.

In a key shift, the administration will push for simultaneous movement on the security and political fronts, after weeks of accepting Israel's position that a stable cease-fire must be secured before the political process can begin again.

"The Palestinian people have to see that there is a political process, a political process that we will get involved in early on through negotiations, which will lead quickly to a Palestinian state," Powell said.

Powell is expected to arrive in the region midweek. He will hold talks with leaders in Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, a senior administration official said. Bush called on leaders in the wider Arab world to follow through on the initiative of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, approved at an Arab League summit last week, to engage in "normal relations" with Israel and foster a broader regional peace in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from land occupied in the 1967 Middle East War.

"Arab states must rise to this occasion and accept Israel as a nation and as a neighbor," the president said.

"As Israel steps back, responsible Palestinian leaders and Israel's Arab neighbors must step forward and show the world that they are truly on the side of peace," Bush said.